Actually that's very impressive considering how much Shumi was Dominating 2004 in what in my opinion is the best F1 Car ever built.

McLaren '88. Ferrari were slower at times than competition in '04, but made up for it by strategy. Notable example is Mangy Cours from the same year you mention. Ferrari made 4 pitstops to out do Renault who were faster overall. We will know more may be in some more years about how they managed it.

Kimi was considered one of the best over a single lap until he went to Ferrari.

_________________Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?-Epicurus

If there are people who are saying he's slow, I think the honourable thing to do is to forgive them for their ignorance. There's being fast, there's having the car to use that speed, and there's team politics...

_________________Use every man after his desert, and who should scape whipping? Use them after your own honour and dignity.

Personally, I think Kimi has just matured. When he first joined F1 he was fast but, because of circumstances, he didn't always get pole position or win the race. Now, he is mature enough to know that his qualifying position doesn't necessarily reflect his finishing place in the race, just like Alonso. Just my 2 cents worth

Whatever he was in the past, in 2012 he was underwhelming in qualifying. Time after time I found myself disappointed at his position in qualifying, and qualifying has proved just as important as it has always been (pre and post DRS). Grosjean, in my opinion, out-classed Raikkonen in qualifying; more often than Raikkonen, he showed the car's minimum qualifying position, and for a driver of Raikkonen's calibre, that's a pretty poor show.

Whatever he was in the past, in 2012 he was underwhelming in qualifying. Time after time I found myself disappointed at his position in qualifying, and qualifying has proved just as important as it has always been (pre and post DRS). Grosjean, in my opinion, out-classed Raikkonen in qualifying; more often than Raikkonen, he showed the car's minimum qualifying position, and for a driver of Raikkonen's calibre, that's a pretty poor show.

OTOH I think Kimi's tyre struggles in qualifying helped him in the race. But still it was surprising to see Grosjean outqualify him.

I think Kimi more than anyone else set his car up to be a good RACE car, and for him that might mean a bigger gap between saturday and sunday performance. Can't say if that is a Kimi "issue" or a Lotus "issue". I don't think it has anything to do with a lack of speed or consistency in qualifying form. There were only a few times where I felt he could have had a better race result if he had qualified better.

Towards the end of last season he was better than Grosjean. If the team focuses on Kimi's feedback he can deliver, if not, he won't and his only problem that he won't bother to draw the attention back to him

Yes, I remember that time very well and was constantly impressed each GP weekend; I'd look forward to him doing something genuinely special (only to usually have it undone by a mechanical failure). But since the middle of 2008, I've always been somewhat worried every Saturday.

He lost the 2008 title by not being able to qualify and getting bogged down in the races in traffic with no overtaking (2008 aero regs) when he had clean air in the races he was untouchable hence his 10 fastest laps that year.

Coincidence or not, but his not been the same in qualifying since the Michelin days.

He lost the 2008 title by not being able to qualify and getting bogged down in the races in traffic with no overtaking (2008 aero regs) when he had clean air in the races he was untouchable hence his 10 fastest laps that year.

Coincidence or not, but his not been the same in qualifying since the Michelin days.

This.

But at the same time, someone somewhere (maybe F1 Fanatic), had stats that showed qualifying position and finishing position are still about the same now as they were back at the height of dirty air (2008, I think), so it's still just as important.

The only time in his last 2 years in F1 that he really pulled something special out the bag in quali was Monaco 2009... Very very nearly took pole. I mean, there were things like this too:

He lost the 2008 title by not being able to qualify and getting bogged down in the races in traffic with no overtaking (2008 aero regs) when he had clean air in the races he was untouchable hence his 10 fastest laps that year.

Coincidence or not, but his not been the same in qualifying since the Michelin days.

But at the same time, someone somewhere (maybe F1 Fanatic), had stats that showed qualifying position and finishing position are still about the same now as they were back at the height of dirty air (2008, I think), so it's still just as important.

You know why that is, don't you?

The closeness of car performance. 2008 had big differences in car performance, 2012 has been closer to a spec series than ever.